Heremaia Ngata
Encyclopedia
Heremaia Ngata (born 24 August 1971 in Wanganui
) is a former New Zealand
association football player who played as a midfielder
.
in England
, and may have been the first Maori footballer to play in the English league.
Ngata won 1998 New Zealand Players' Player of the Year award, whilst playing with North Shore United
, where he won the club's Player of the Year award twice.
One of the most successful parts of his career was the five years that he spent playing for the Kingz in the Australian NSL. where he became very popular.
on 28 April 1993. He was included in the New Zealand side for the 1999 Confederations Cup finals tournament and he ended his international playing career with 28 A-international caps and 3 goals to his credit, his final cap a substitute appearance in a 7-0 win over Vanuatu
on 13 June 2001.
in New Zealand.
He has worked in the role of Sports Ambassador for the SPARC organisation (Sport & Recreation New Zealand).
Wanganui
Whanganui , also spelled Wanganui, is an urban area and district on the west coast of the North Island of New Zealand. It is part of the Manawatu-Wanganui region....
) is a former New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
association football player who played as a midfielder
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
.
Club career
Ngata began his career with Hull CityHull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, and may have been the first Maori footballer to play in the English league.
Ngata won 1998 New Zealand Players' Player of the Year award, whilst playing with North Shore United
North Shore United
North Shore United is a semi-professional football club based in North Shore, Auckland, New Zealand. They compete in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.Their home ground, Allen Hill Stadium, is located in the suburb of Devonport.-History:...
, where he won the club's Player of the Year award twice.
One of the most successful parts of his career was the five years that he spent playing for the Kingz in the Australian NSL. where he became very popular.
International career
Ngata scored New Zealand's goal in his full All Whites debut, a 1-3 loss against Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia national football team
Saudi Arabia national football team is the national team of Saudi Arabia and is controlled by the Saudi Arabia Football Federation...
on 28 April 1993. He was included in the New Zealand side for the 1999 Confederations Cup finals tournament and he ended his international playing career with 28 A-international caps and 3 goals to his credit, his final cap a substitute appearance in a 7-0 win over Vanuatu
Vanuatu national football team
The Vanuatu national football team is the national team of Vanuatu and is controlled by the Vanuatu Football Federation.-History:It was known as the New Hebrides national football team until the New Hebrides became Republic of Vanuatu in 1980. It finished fourth in the OFC Nations Cup in 1973,...
on 13 June 2001.
Post-retirement
Ngata works occasionally as a football commentator for SKY TVSKY Network Television
Sky Network Television Limited , , is a New Zealand pay television service. On 30 June 2011, Sky had 829,421 subscribers, which comprises:*808,617 digital subscribers*20,840 other subscribers...
in New Zealand.
He has worked in the role of Sports Ambassador for the SPARC organisation (Sport & Recreation New Zealand).